


Cold Hands

by Anonymous



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Hypothermia, M/M, h/c, so cliché and i'm so sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-21
Updated: 2014-07-21
Packaged: 2018-02-09 21:10:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1997934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Literally just one more hypothermia fic because I can do whatever I want and the season five finale shattered me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cold Hands

"But, Sire--"  


"It isn't your place to argue, Merlin." Arthur didn't look up from the document he was going over. This was becoming more and more frequent, Merlin arguing for his rights, as if he had any against Arthur. Arthur knew the argument was already over. Merlin couldn't turn down doing something for someone else. "The field needs to be cleared before the tournament tomorrow."  


"It's raining." Merlin hovered near the door, glancing out the window apprehensively. And it definitely was. The rain poured down in buckets, sounding on the roof far above and creating huge lakes of puddles.  


"I realise that, I'm not an idiot." Arthur finally looked up and rolled his eyes, setting his pen aside.  


"That's news to me," Merlin shot back, pulling his brown jacket tighter around him.  


"If you work fast, you won't be out there long. There are already some servants out there anyway." Arthur held Merlin's gaze easily.  


"My point is that it's going to be muddy tomorrow and knights are going to slip--"  


"Merlin, go clean the field."  


Merlin deflated, nodded and slipped out of the room. 

\-------

Late that night, there was a knock on Arthur's door. Arthur set down his book and looked up. "Come in?"  


The door creaked open, and Merlin poked his head in. His hair was dripping onto the floor, and Arthur sighed. "Yes?"  


"The field is c-cleared," Merlin said quickly, lowering his gaze.  


"It took you four hours?"  


"It's done, isn't it?"  


"Very well, then." Arthur waved a hand. "Get some rest for the tournament."  


"You too." Merlin ducked out of sight, feeling his hands shake. He'd never been this cold in his life. His clothes were soaked through, and Merlin remembered with a sinking feeling in his (empty) stomach that Gaius didn't have a fireplace in his chambers.  


Perhaps he could use magic.  


As if hearing his thoughts, a guard promptly turned the corner, and Merlin decided against it. Said guard, of course, didn't move out of the way and knocked into Merlin. Merlin fell like a tree and only heard the soldier's rebuke as he walked on.  


After a minute or so of having acquainted his face with the stone ground, Merlin heaved himself up into a sitting position, feeling water run down his back. Slowly, he leaned into a wall and closed his eyes, shivering. He didn't really have to go all the way to his chambers to sleep, technically.  


His eyes were sliding shut, the eyelids suddenly very heavy, when he heard footsteps. Light, soft ones. And then a voice. "Merlin?"  


A woman, then, with an accent that made the r in his name rolled. Morgana. Merlin wanted to sigh, and he forced his eyes open, but when he tried to apologise and get up, his teeth began chattering and his legs wouldn't move.  


The lady crouched next to him. "Merlin, are you alright?"  


Merlin raised his head to meet her concerned gaze and made his jaw be still. "Jus' resting, s-sorry."  


"Your lips are purple," she observed worriedly, brushing rain off off his forehead.  


"I'm fine." Merlin's eyes began falling shut again, as if to prove himself wrong.  


"I'm getting Gaius," Morgana announced, getting to her feet and running off. She'd been somewhat kinder to Merlin since he'd helped with that strange druid boy, but Merlin was ashamed nonetheless.  


It only took a few minutes for Morgana to return, and Merlin heard Gaius's shuffling gait as well. "Merlin!" the physician said immediately, and Merlin hated to worry him, but his entire body was trembling with cold.  


The warlock saw a shadow on the inside of his eyelids as Gaius passed in front of a torch, but otherwise he had no idea what was going on. "'M fine, Gaius," he mumbled, and felt a warm hand on his forehead.  


"Can you stand?" Gaius asked gently.  


Merlin cracked his eyes open and pushed a hand into the ground, intending to push himself up, but promptly slipped and fell sideways. Morgana steadied him.  


"Please fetch Arthur," Gaius murmured to Morgana, who got to her feet and hurried away. Merlin shot a betrayed look at Gaius and tried again to get to his feet.  


"Merlin, he is the only one who can carry you. I certainly can't. Morgana? No. And the guards are all on duty," Gaius said mildly, but Merlin didn't believe him, and who said anything about carrying anyone?  


Again, footsteps. Merlin recognized both Morgana's and Arthur's, and braced himself for whatever teasing was to come.  


But none came. "What happened?" Arthur asked, a strange emotion in his voice. Concern, perhaps, though that didn't seem scientifically possible. He crouched next to Merlin and looked up to Gaius.  


"I was thinking that you would know, sire." Gaius didn't sound accusative, exactly, but Merlin sensed where the conversation was going, and clutched at his shirt to keep his hand from shaking.  


He summoned the last of his energy and said clearly, "I was stupid, I was taking a walk in the city, got caught in the rain."  


Arthur looked at him, eyes narrowed, and Gaius didn't seem to believe it either.  


"I'm an idiot." Merlin was fading fast. His teeth began chattering again, but he wasn't going to let Arthur take any of the blame. "Y-you always say I am, and y-you're right, I'm s-so _stupid __\--"  
_

"Merlin." It was Arthur who cut him off, and Merlin wasn't about to listen to him.  


"And of c-course Morgana had to g-go get y-you. Let's j-just w-wake up the entire c-castle. Let's l-laugh at h-how he g-got c-caught in the rain and can't even stand up." Merlin pressed trembling hands to his eyes.  


"We're not laughing," Morgana said quietly.  


Before Merlin had a chance to glare at her, strong hands slid underneath him and lifted him up. "I think it's high time you went to bed, Merlin."  


Merlin didn't have the strength to protest that he didn't need to be carried by Arthur--he was being carried by Arthur--so he just closed his eyes again and ignored the tremors wracking his body. "I'm cold," he muttered.  


Arthur actually laughed, a weak laugh, but a laugh nonetheless. "It is also night, and it is raining. My chambers are just around the corner," he offered as Gaius looked down the hallway.  


The physician nodded and followed Morgana, who walked ahead.  


Merlin leaned his head against Arthur's chest, feeling the warmth but not becoming any warmer himself. He tried to stop shivering--he was hard enough to carry as it was--but found it more difficult than he'd expected.  


Gaius opened the door, and Arthur swooped in to set Merlin on the hearth like he weighed nothing.  


Immediately, the old man became businesslike. Morgana was sent to find blankets. Arthur looked for any old clothes that could possibly fit Merlin. Gaius helped peel off Merlin's wet clothes and had just finished changing him into Arthur's when Morgana returned. Quickly, Gaius and Arthur wrapped the blankets around Merlin and then sat back, feeling accomplished.  


Merlin looked pale, but his lips and ears were returning from their blue state. He still shivered, but Arthur knew he'd be okay.  


"The best thing to help him right now is someone else's body heat." Gaius advised, causing Morgana and Arthur to exchange a panicked glance.  


"Arthur's the best for the job," Morgana said, casually enough that Gaius would think she was being kind, but rushed enough that Arthur knew she was just trying to make him do it.  


"My thoughts exactly," Gaius said with a slight smile.  


Arthur sputtered in indignation. "I'm not going to, to...cuddle with my manservant!"  


Morgana raised her eyebrows at him, and Gaius just gave him a look with a frown of displeasure, and Arthur relented. Carefully, he lifted Merlin and set him down on his bed, then shooed Gaius and Morgana out of his chambers. Arthur swore he heard Morgana snickering and Gaius chuckling in the hallway, and his ears burned. Then he saw Merlin, curled up and still trembling--how cold could he possibly be?--and felt guilty. It was his fault Merlin was like this, despite what Merlin claimed.  


Slowly, he climbed onto the bed and pulled the blanket over both him and Merlin. Merlin allowed himself to be pulled closer to Arthur.  


"You will tell _no one,_ " Arthur hissed into his ear.  


"'Course not." Merlin smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> the title was not my idea please go laugh at cleverusernameloading


End file.
